I went to a high school where the mascot was a Native American Warrior. I had come from a middle school where the mascot was a dog, so the transition to a human mascot seemed odd. I later learned in high school history classes that Native Americans were repressed peoples. When institutions and sport groups were being formed, powerful mascots would be adopted. The mascots were preferably fearless and dangerous creatures. Because of rising issues with Native Americans during the 1800s and reservation issues in the 1900s, attention would be drawn to Native Americans. This attention led to adoption, which then lead to a group of people representing another group of people. This degradation to symbolism is the opposite of personification for a suppressed people. Interpretations would then fly around as misunderstanding occurred, along with dishonor. Disregard of the effects in contrast towards insult has been evident in both non-Native Americans and Native Americans. For the groups of people that have taken action, there has been ongoing effort to remove Native American dishonor from being a mascot. Therefore, I would like to go into discussion of the causes and effects of the Native American mascot – with an emphasis on interpretation from both Native Americans and common folk – followed by past and ongoing solutions. Three questions now burn in our heads; when, where, and why. Before Native Americans became slurs of a name for sport teams, such names were in use. According to Crowe, “the term ‘redskin’… first recorded in the late 17th century, referred not to the natural color of a tribe’s skin by their use of face and body paint. Later, the term distinguished between Indians of India from the Americas and grew into a label assigned... ... middle of paper ... ...yed as demeaning, they produce incorrect expectations of Native Americans from both common folk and Native Americans themselves. The solution would be to counteract these offenses of disgrace by removing the mascots and by offering apology to Native Americans. Considering most of the population is not Native American, we should have a respect for Native American culture. Just how there is not a “Cartel” Business School, we should not accept a Redskins football team. Works Cited Crowe, Melissa. "Con: Derogatory mascots harm Native American identity." Victoria Advocate (TX) 21 Oct. 2013: Points of View Reference Center. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. Rhodan, Maya. "Native Americans Tackle Redskins At Press Conference." Time.Com (2013): 1. Business Source Complete. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. Worsnop, Richard L. "Native Americans." CQ Researcher 8 May 1992: 385-408. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
In Sacramento, California there are crusades to get rid of school’s with Indian team mascots. There are other offensive team mascots aside from Indian mascots as the Imperial Valley College Arabs and the Hollywood High Sheiks. (Bustillo, 1). People from California are trying to pass a bill AB 2115 that would rid public schools of any racial or ethnic groups. (Boghossian, 1). This has been a issue since the late 1960’s. The National Congress of American Indians has been trying to rid team sports from ...
Facts are presented throughout the writing from reputable sources. For instance, American Psychology Association (APA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are among those sources. One can argue all day with someone else’s point of view, but it’s nearly impossible to dispute facts. The site that she used from APA discusses why there are harmful results with the use of racist mascots. Looking farther into the source, it would have been useful for Stretten to include not only the mere fact that the mascot should be retired but why. APA goes deeper by explaining the reason it hurts Native Americans, especially children. When these children see such harmful stereotypes, they think that non-Natives only see them as those stereotypes and nothing else. Most of the imagery that goes alongside the stereotypes are negative, so a negative viewing of a whole culture is not going to end well for anyone. Their self-esteem can, and will, plummet because of this problem (APA). Though I concede that Stretten should’ve used more information from their site, I insist that she still managed to get her point across to
Issue of whether to keep Mascots in schools or not, started in late 1970’s and from then this debate is going on. Most of the schools have Indian Mascots in place for half a century and suddenly it become problem to use Indian Mascots. Over 500 Native American organizations also announced their support for the removal of those mascots and over 1200 schools across the United States have changed the name of their sports teams and some school refused to play with those schools using Indian mascots. But some school still think that using mascots are just paying homage to the Native peoples and it’s just another group claiming to be offended. Sports teams used those mascots to promote their team’s athletic powers, like wolf, lion and eagle etc. How portrait of an Indain wearing hat with feather or headdress can be offensive or racist? One thing which never be done up to now that is to view our history from Native eyes. First of all, learn about their culture and their living style from their new perspective not the one which is given in our history books. From last hundred years we taught our generations that this is our country and we had a very long war with Indians which won. We also tell different kind of stories like burning of Fort Pequot Indians because they had trade relationship with British company. Can stories like this possibly be related to mascot issue? Using mascots are really a problem or just a political incorrectness.
Richard Estrada is a noted author, thoughtful, independent-minded associate editor of the Dallas Morning News. In his essay "Sticks and Stones and Sports Team Names," Estrada addresses the issue of whether sports teams should use names and images associated with Native Americans. Estrada believes that using Native American tribes/groups as sport team names are unacceptable. Native Americans have the right just like all other ethnic groups to rally against the world of sports entertainment. The “Washington Blackskins” would not last a week if that were a team name so why should we allow the name “Redskins.” Estrada argues that the newspapers should ban references to Native American nicknames. People of the sports entertainment world are ignoring the fact that Native Americans are a minority and they should get a say if they would like for a certain team/group to represent their symbols. Estrada establishes common ground by using all ethnic groups as an example to attract everyone’s attention. This strategy is very effective because it places all ethnic groups in the position of the Native Americans so they can see what it would be like in their shoes or to see things from their point of view. “The
The stereotype of Native Americans has been concocted by long history. As any stereotype constructed by physical appearance, the early Europeans settlers were no different and utilized this method. Strangers to the New World, they realized the land was not uninhabited. The Native Americans were a strange people that didn't dress like them, didn't speak like them, and didn't believe like them. So they scribed what they observed. They observed a primitive people with an unorthodox religion and way of life. These observations made the transatlantic waves. Not knowingly, the early settlers had transmitted the earliest cases of stereotyped Native Americans to the masses. This perpetuated t...
the author tries to convince his audience that the use of Indian names and mascots is wrong. He argues that most of the problems that come with the usage of Indian names are that the team name has been around for so long that it loses its meaning. Shakely also states that the use of Indian or Native American names in sports should be done away with just like all of the other ethnic names in sports that have been thrown out. On the other hand, in the article “What’s in a (Team) Name” written by John J. Miller (2001), the author talks about why using Indian names gives great significance to the meaning. The author makes the point that a team doesn’t name itself after a particular Indian tribe to dishonor them. In fact, he says they do it
The Washington Redskins professional football team has thousands of fans that believe that taking away the name of the football would also take away their legacy. A poll created by ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” got results back that say “71 percent [of Americans believe the name Redskins] “should not” be changed” (Clement). This shows that the majority of Americans think that the word Redskins in this case is not offensive to the Native Americans and that the team should not have to change their name because a few Native Americans find the word racist. Another poll from Annenberg Public Policy Center asked Native Americans if they found the football team’s name offensive, ninety percent said that the name was acceptable (“Washington Redskins Name: An Intelligent Discussion”). This comes to show that the very people this name is supposed to offend find the name acceptable and do not believe the Washington Redskins are racist. However, the other side does believe that public opinion is showing that the football team Washington Redskins is offending Native Americans. In a poll from Oneida Indian Nation who surveyed Washington area residents found that fifty-nine percent of Native Americans have the right to be offended (“Washington Redskins Name: An Intelligent Discussion”). This may be the truth for Americans in the Washington area, but the polls people
Since Christopher Columbus arrived to what is known as the United States of America, “Indians” were turned into slaves, exploited, murdered, and robbed from their lands. One would think that all of this is part of history, because isn’t the United States today considered a democratic country? One would also think that by now Native Americans would have been given back everything that was stolen from them, because after all they were the original settlers of our lands. However, Native Americans are secluded, overlooked, discriminated, and forced to live in a society that does not honor them. This is why Native Americans are standing together and fighting for what they have left. Their vision is to teach and show future generations how having a team called “redskins” is derogatory and unacceptable. Native Americans humbly want to preserve their culture and by eliminating this controversy, they will have a chance to do
Privilege is thinking something is not a problem because it’s not a problem to someone personally. It’s difficult to see a situation for what it is when it’s not specifically affecting a person. In the article “Indian mascots — you’re out,” author Jack Shakely discusses that the cultural appropriation of Native American mascots in college and professional sports teams is treated like a minuscule matter, but removing the mascots would be “the right thing to do.” Shakely expounds his first experience of conflict with his background and supporting the Cleveland Indians. The article is an opinion piece from Los Angeles Times, published on August 25, 2011. Although it isn’t recent, it’s indubitably timely. The appropriation of Native American culture
Many owners of the teams had used the excuse that such names, like the Washington Redskins, where meant to be representing the pride and honor of Native Americans, when the reality is that they are dishonoring their culture for a sport. Sports teams shouldn't look for greatness just for representing Native Americans in their names and mascots, when they are actually butchering them. No one asked the Native Americans if they would get offended by such names, and sure they didn't go rioting around the streets feeling demoralized with how the white men slaughtered and made a ridicule of their culture. After all, if cursing the Indians with bad luck so they can be defeated in a game isn't disrespectful, then what is?
The article “The problems with Native American Mascots” written by Laurel R. Davis covers many arguments regarding the use of Native American names and images for sports teams’ mascots. Rather or not sports teams should be able to continue using Native American names for their teams and images for their mascots is a highly controversial topic. Opinions will vary, especially when a person of Native American heritage is being asked opposed to a person of non-Native American heritage. Native American images should not be used for sports teams’ mascots as their use stereotypes the group, misrepresents many aspects of the Native American culture, as well as negatively impacting the lives of those that come from Native American heritage.
European colonists offered compensation for the scalps of Native American men, women, and children: “50 pounds for adult male scalps; 25 for adult female scalps; and 20 for scalps of boys and girls under age 12” (Holmes, par.3). The “redskins” mascot glorifies this horrific time period in Native American history. Philip Martin states “[p]aying money for scalps of women and even children reflected the true intent of the campaign-to reduce native populations to extinction…so the native could not oppose European seizure of Indian lands” (par. 7). Hereafter, the genocide of Native American people is the direct result of the colonist operation of buying “redskins.” Therefore the name “redskin” is a constant reminder of the scalping of Native American ancestors. Fortunately Native American people survived the genocide but the societal approval of this mascot negatively acknowledges the historical trauma Native American people deal with
The next reason we’ll be looking at are the stereotypical images commonly seen in literature and mascots. Mainstream media such as “Dances with Wolves”, “The Lone Ranger”, and “The Last of The Mohicans” and mascots in professional sports teams like Washington Redskins, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Blackhawks all include representations of Native Americans that for some, are offensive. With this in mind, ...
The use of Native American mascots is racist. One false stereotype that is perpetuated by these mascots is — Native people were bloodthirsty killers. The main cause of the stereotypes are the caricatures. They can be seen as offensive, and should not be used unless honoring them. The Redskins are often the
It has been decided by the California State Legislature to approve the ban on use of Redskins as a mascot for Calaveras High School. By 2017, four high schools in California will have to phase out of their use of the Native American mascot. To some this is doing justice in defense to the Native Americans, but to others it is taking away a proud tradition of honoring them. For one to be reasonably offended one must understand both sides of the argument. As Calaveras High School, we are using the name in honor, pride, and respect but to others we are “politically incorrect.” Calaveras succeeds in showing the respectful and proud side of honoring the name Redskins, established relationships with the local Native Americans, and they have presented us with gifts such as the beautiful baskets that are still present in our front office. Everyone has their own way to define words and is entitled to their opinion including the group of people that have a negative definition of Redskin. Their belief is that the term is mocking, offensive, and racist. In 2005, a Native American Intellect named Ives Goddard of Smithsonian Institution studied and found